Fargo, Moorhead Residents Weigh Options in $1 Billion Flood Diversion Plan

Public interest is swirling around the prospect of a flood diversion project in Fargo, N.D., and Moorhead, Minn., reported Minnesota Public Radio.

The Army Corps of Engineers has been involved in the planning process for the project, which has yielded a possible $1 billion price tag, according to the Minnesota Public Radio report. They are aiming to build levees or diversion ditches to protect the cities from flooding.

While it’s clear that there needs to be a permanent solution to the annual worry about massive flooding in the region, all of the uncertainty surrounding possible outcomes is making local residents wary.

Minnesota Public Radio interviewed farmer Mark Fossum, who wondered how the project would affect his farm’s water levels in the event one of the diversion ditches runs near his farm.

"Who wants to move?” Fossum said in the report. “These are family farms; this is our livelihood. What are you supposed to do? Where are you supposed to build? Everybody has their concerns and so do we."

Army Corps Official Kevin Bluhm said he understands the residents’ concerns.

"A project this size has never been built in the region," Bluhm told Minnesota Public Radio. "The Grand Forks project is in scale of magnitude a fraction of this. I think it's going to take a little time for people to digest what we've given them."

While many of the residents seem to prefer a diversion ditch that routes part of the Red River around the cities, a consensus has not been reached, said Minnesota Public Radio. It’s critical, though, that everyone agrees soon, because the Army Corps of Engineers is planning to have one option nailed down by January, before it takes the plan to Congress for funding. If residents don’t agree on a plan, the project will not move forward, the report noted.

"I think this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," said Bob Zimmerman, Moorhead city engineer. "Part of the challenge is it's a short period of time to do a lot of work and make a lot of decisions. Our local leaders are going to have a big burden to get through all of that, but I have confidence we'll get there."

If the plan goes through, construction could start as early as 2012, according to the Minnesota Public Radio report.

Source: Minnesota Public Radio